Hes done more from a wheelchair than any men standing erect. So he didnt know my rank or my name. MCRAVEN: So by the time the helicopters had passed back over the border, now Im on the video with President Obama and his team. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. And then in 1983, as you mentioned, he had a head-on bicycle accident and then was paralyzed from the chest down and has been since that time. Admiral William McRaven, welcome back to Firing Line for a special edition episode honoring Independence Day. Will they just be a great mother or father that raises another kid who raises another kid? Retired Navy Adm. William H. McRaven has written a new book called, "The Hero Code: Lessons Learned from Lives Well Lived." McRaven knows about heroic deeds, having directed the 2011 U.S . You told the SEAL Team Six, This mission is to capture or kill bin Laden. Now, what I am getting, of course, is reports from the ground force commander when shots are fired. And to this day, Moki oversees the triathlon that we run every year as part of our underwater demolition team and our SEAL fraternity. Retired Admiral William McRaven speaks Wednesday January 10, 2018 at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. Bin Laden was in American hands, status adjusted: "enemy killed in action." Over the next two years, McRaven became principal author of Bush's National Strategy for Combating Terrorism. So whenever a shot is fired, somebody is reporting through the chain. No air strikes (yet). On May 17, 2014, Admiral William H. McRaven addressed the graduating class of the University of Texas at Austin on their Commencement day. As you point out. HOOVER: Admiral, youve led sailors through harrowing missions. His father, a career Air Force officer, was stationed at Pope Air Force Base, now known as Pope Field, part of Fort Bragg. And so I really didnt kind of come off the business end of this mission probably until later that evening when finally I was able to hit the rack. If bin Laden had his hands up and he clearly was not a threat which was going to be difficult because you dont know whether or not theyre carrying a suicide vest underneath but if he had come out of that room with his hands up and clearly not a threat, we had an obligation, a legal obligation, a moral obligation to capture him. The second helicopter, which was supposed to come in and land on the roof, lands outside. The most recent internal tally counted more than 2,500 such commando missions in and around Afghanistan over 12 months. Admiral McRaven also explains how it isn't necessary to change everyone's lives for the world to change. You got to find out, one, is everybody OK? MCRAVEN: Well, I think its interesting when you think about Westmorelands observation in context. HOOVER: On September 11th, 2001, you were still recuperating from your injuries when you watched the terrorist attacks on this country play out on a television screen in your living room. These lessons helped Admiral William McRaven overcome SEAL training and found that they applied to overcome life's challenges. And the SEALs entering the room did absolutely the right thing and shot him, not knowing whether or not he was wearing a suicide vest or what was happening at that instant. Rochor exit ECP traffic accident involving a van and a car on 15 February 2017 around 9.34am. MCRAVEN: Yeah, he wasn't in a real good position to negotiate. As commander of Naval Special Warfare Group One, Captain McRaven was leading a 1,000-foot freefall exercise in the summer of 2001, when an accident occurred that could easily have cost him his life. But before all that, he had to recover from a terrible accident. And you write that you, quote, had an obligation, both morally and legally to keep him safe. So, yes, we believed we had bin Laden. If bin Laden had his hands up and he clearly was not a threat which was going to be difficult because you dont know whether or not theyre carrying a suicide vest underneath but if he had come out of that room with his hands up and clearly not a threat, we had an obligation, a legal obligation, a moral obligation to capture him. And, oh by the way, the guys are still in the compound. The story did not end there. INSKEEP: You tell story after story after story in this book. What I would offer is I think when he finally realized that he no longer had his palaces, he no longer had his generals, he no longer had his handmaidens, he went from being pompous and arrogant to frankly, just being, you know, a tired, corrupt old man. In fact, we had a plan with what we were going to do with bin Laden if we captured him. And Ive seen it in this current generation, the millennials and the Gen Z. HOOVER: In 2003, you were the commander of Task Force 714 in Iraq. We always find heroes in the next generation that are more than willing to serve and sacrifice. And then he fired three rounds. And then two days later, when I was back in Washington briefing the Congress, I get a call to come over to the White House. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Take us inside that closet as you watched your SEALS enter Pakistan and clear the compound floor by floor. I wonder what you think we can do to convince more people to make their beds every morning? Take a look at this video. Then, in 2001, came the parachute accident and the long climb back. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. HOOVER: You write about a skydiving accident that you were in in 2001 that nearly cost you your life. But it was pretty clearly bin Laden. He also led the . Downing wanted McRaven on his staff. You know, we had a lot of kind of heated discussions in the meetings I was in, but there was never any rancor. What happened was the down blast from the helicopter hit this 18 foot high wall, created a vortex, kind of a vacuum over the blades, caused the helicopter to lose lift. But I knew immediately the guys were okay. I had to fly from Baghdad down to Al Udeid. And then, of course, when we get on target, we didnt know whether or not the entire compound was booby trapped, whether bin Laden was wearing a suicide vest, all those sorts of things added to the risk. He took the special out of special warfare.". Suffice to say, I'm not sure whatever happened to that paperwork, but I continued on in the service, and some things are better left unasked. So while I didnt know at a young age that I wanted to follow in my fathers footsteps, I dont think it took me long before I realized that this was the path that was the right fit for me. And as I say in the book, kind of inexplicably, I just had this feeling that this was going to be the night that we got Saddam Hussein. But when we were in training, he did not hesitate to pick me out of a crowd and turn me into a sugar cookie, as we say, where you roll around in the sand, and that kind of good natured harassment on a routine basis. He kept tabs on the SEALs who had gone to war without him. But I also knew at that moment that life was about to change. it showed that we as Americans can do the hard things and do them well. "Special forces have taken greater measures in the last year and a half to reduce civilian casualties," says Erica Gaston, who wrote a report for the Open Society Foundations, "but one night raid in a village can be enough to turn [people] against international and Afghan government efforts. I didnt want to engage with him because, frankly, I didnt want him to, at least psychologically, think that he was a VIP, that he was somebody important enough to be able to engage me in conversation. In his thirty-seven years as a Navy SEAL, he commanded at every level.As a Four-Star Admiral, his final assignment was as Commander of all U.S. Special Operations Forces. And then as we start to get into the December timeframe, we had another lead. If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed. But that was still many hours after the mission was concluded. 3 commander twice a year. Routines, good routines, healthy routines are important. So I understood pretty quickly that the guys were a little banged up, but they were OK. And so we went from plan A to plan B. The New York Times reports that Vice Adm McRaven was asked in February by Mr Panetta to come up with various proposals for a military strike on the compound where Bin Laden was believed to be . But that particular day, I actually had a meeting down in Qatar. What were you seeing? And we had a plan to do that. Image: U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Christopher William. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Updated at 5:38 p.m. HOOVER: Its quite striking because you write that the command center breaks into cheers, but you, quote, had no sense of relief, no internal exhilaration, no feeling of victory. But he was not going to have outside contact with any of his former Iraqi leaders. I had received an intelligence brief the night before from one of the great noncommissioned officers that was part of the Saddam hunt. You know, when we first captured Saddam, he was pompous. McRaven: Basic SEAL training was a lifetime of challenges crammed into six months. His only known experience of combat before reaching flag rank came as a SEAL "task unit" leader in the Persian Gulf War. Once there were U.S. commando units in World War II. And so I really didnt kind of come off the business end of this mission probably until later that evening when finally I was able to hit the rack. Having said that, I knew bin Laden was about six foot four And I thought, well Im six foot two. You will feel a sense of pride, and that same pride will greet you at . What kind of intelligence did we get off the target? Copyright 2019 NPR. As it turned out, in a dark room at night. The fact of the matter is, the law of armed conflict and the rules of engagement were pretty clear. MCRAVEN: If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished the first task of the day and will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another. And Maybe the World . As the commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, he led a force of 69,000 men and women and was responsible for conducting counter-terrorism operations worldwide. And so I proudly have the opportunity to display that tape measure at the Special Operations Command. Firing Line with Margaret Hoover is made possible in part by and by Corporate funding is provided by They took care to avoid civilian casualties. You wrote in your book, Sea Stories: My Life in Special Operations, quote, I was having one of those feelings, again, inexplicable, powerful, eerie, one I couldnt shake and I certainly couldnt rationalize. He has unique facial characteristics. So anybody that claims that theyve got a helmet cam video, nobody was wearing helmet cams. HOOVER: You write about a skydiving accident that you were in in 2001 that nearly cost you your life. I mean, it showed that we as Americans can do the hard things and do them well. To be a good leader, you have to be a good communicator. Yeah, theres a lot of people out there that think that this was a kill only mission. So admittedly that particular operation was a lot sportier, a lot further, a lot more political ramifications, a lot riskier for a lot of reasons, but basically similar to things that we do every night. Yeah, it was actually a C-130. hour.s about an mr. axelrod: admiral, great to see you again. And, of course, that generation, you know, they were children of the Great Depression. Michael Thornton is one of a handful of Navy SEALs that have been awarded the Medal of Honor. During a routine exercise, while serving as a Navy captain with decades of command of SEALs around the world, Admiral William H. McRaven was involved in a parachute accident: he fell more than 1,200 metres before the parachute deployed! The first of Admiral McRaven's 10 lessons is: start your day with one successful task completed, such as making your bed, and you will find the motivation to tackle others. Will they be the next president or prime minister of Iraq? We had a helicopter with an optical ball on it that was providing our ISR, our video coverage, if you will. You had 60 million dollars for a helicopter, the one we had lost on the raid, and you didnt have ten dollars for a tape measure? And as Ive told folks, it was just the right amount of levity, just at the right time to kind of lower the stress in the room. It's a lesson Admiral William H. McRaven (retired) learned after a parachute accident that left him bedridden for months. HOOVER: You know, there are people out there, Admiral, who may not know about the raid on Osama bin Ladens compound or the rescue of Captain Phillips. According to participants in the closely held Abbottabad debate, McRaven spoke thoughtfully about the risks but never expressed doubt that his men could dispatch bin Laden and return home safely. Chris Kyle. And then, of course, when we get on target, we didnt know whether or not the entire compound was booby trapped, whether bin Laden was wearing a suicide vest, all those sorts of things added to the risk. MCRAVEN: Yeah, I mean, even to this day, the impact of Moki Martin is with me every day. Today on the show, Admiral McRaven and I discuss why something as simple as making your bed every day can lay the foundation for success in every aspect of your life, how a parachuting accident taught him an important lesson on avoiding self-pity and learning to rely on the help of others, and why rolling in the sand as a . And a made bed gives you encouragement that tomorrow will be better. So whenever a shot is fired, somebody is reporting through the chain. Admiral William McRaven commanded the Special Forces who captured Saddam Hussein. Leon Panetta, who joined the video call from CIA headquarters, told TIME's Massimo Calabresi that "all the air we were holding came out." In fact, he pushed two young girls, his daughters, in front of him, which created some chaos. Credits. . Eric Thor Olson (born January 24, 1952) is a retired United States Navy admiral who last served as the eighth Commander, U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) from July 2, 2007 to August 8, 2011. He said, well sir Im six two. (See pictures of the history of special ops.). "One of the things we made clear to the President and the national leadership was, This is what we do," he told TIME. We noted early on that you managed to get through a severe injury because of a commanding officer who maybe bent the rules a little bit, although you never confirmed that. William H. McRaven is a retired four-star US Navy SEAL admiral and author of the number one New York Times best-seller Make Your Bed (2017).During his almost 40 years of service, McRaven became commander of America's anti-terrorist and hostage rescue operations, which included the capture of Saddam Hussein and the raid that killed Osama bin Laden. He bought them. Moki, to me was this kind of quintessential Navy SEAL. The DIB, on which McRaven served, was created during the Obama administration by then-Defense Secretary Ash Carter. They took care to avoid civilian casualties. Making your bed as easy to do. I kind of tumble through the parachute. Sign up for notifications from Insider! Along the way, McRaven sketches the qualities required to pull off something very much like the bin Laden raid, 18 years in advance: "a simple plan, carefully concealed, realistically rehearsed and executed with surprise, speed and purpose." MCRAVEN: No, I dont think that contributed to his decline. "I want to confirm we have a call of 'Geronimo EKIA,' " he said evenly. And then in 1983, as you mentioned, he had a head-on bicycle accident and then was paralyzed from the chest down and has been since that time. When the lead helicopter lost its lift and crash-landed in an animal pen, one participant in the video call said he thought he might vomit. MCRAVEN: Well, you know, there are people who I meet every day who have no idea I ever spent a day in uniform. But it was a relatively straightforward mission in terms of the first part of it. And he pulls. And on that night it was McRaven, linked by secure video from Jalalabad to the White House, who briefed the President in real time as the operation progressed. The bad news is, when a parachute opens, it blossoms. So if you want to change the world, start off by making your bed. So I think all of those kind of clicked in my mind. Nothing mattered but your will to succeed. "So now I am tangled up in my parachute, falling towards the ground. And of course, it started in SEAL training. I mean, there were risks every time we came close to the Pakistani border or crossed the Pakistani border, the Pakistanis were not concerned at all about engaging us. It's one of the tales he recounts in his new memoir, titled "Sea Stories: My Life In Special Forces" (ph). This Week on a special, Independence Day Firing Line. I mean, who in the world is going to join the military for relatively low pay, to put your life at risk, et cetera, et cetera? Now, what I am getting, of course, is reports from the ground force commander when shots are fired. on. Good evening. And youve probably seen the iconic photo from Pete Souza. You know, when we stood up an all volunteer force, I remember thinking initially, well, this will never work. HOOVER: Take a look at President Obamas speech to the nation the night of May 1st, 2011. You said, quote, As a commander, you would like to be in ultimate control of all of the decisions, but the reality is you cant be. Bush famously kept a list of al-Qaeda leaders in his Oval Office desk drawer and drew an X over each face as the target was captured or killed. Did we inadvertently kill people we shouldnt have killed? And frankly, I didnt want to engage him in a conversation. Commentary. ), "The President was at all times presidential," he says. I just didnt want that to occur. I need to go personally identify the remains before I can kind of come back and tell you for certain its bin Laden. We put the body bag on the hangar floor and its a rubberized body bag. What I would offer is I think when he finally realized that he no longer had his palaces, he no longer had his generals, he no longer had his handmaidens, he went from being pompous and arrogant to frankly, just being, you know, a tired, corrupt old man. And so I proudly have the opportunity to display that tape measure at the Special Operations Command. None had the full . You wrote in your book. Image: MIT News Office. "People like McRaven know that.". General and Mrs. Caslen, General and Mrs. Clarke, General Trainor, Col Brazil, Command Sergeants Major Duane . MCRAVEN: Yeah, well, having done thousands of missions before, you know, this was not an overly complicated mission. MCRAVEN: Oh, absolutely. What were you seeing? But new leaders always stepped in. There was always an understanding that it was about doing what was right for the country. "We do raids. It was part of a 10,000-foot freefall jump exercise in July 2001 and McRaven, then 45 years old, was supposed to save the chute for the last possible moments. I went back to my little headquarters area, got back on the video with the president and the president said, OK, Bill, let me get this straight. william mcraven on his time in the military and his criticism of president trump. A Navy SEAL who spent 37 years serving his country. (Photo Credit: United States Navy / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain) McRaven's plan was successful and bin Laden was killed by SEAL Team 6 on May 2, 2011. He never had his hands raised. Now available in bookstores everywhere, or go to time.com/specialops to order your copy today. So he didnt know my rank or my name. Never once did he say, why me? I had a medical professional, either a corpsman, a medic or a doctor in the room with him 24/7, along with a security guard. And so what we had to do pretty quickly was to make sure he understood that he was a prisoner of the United States and we were going to treat him well. And fortunately, you know, the guys found me, took me to the hospital. Now, in the case of Saddam Hussein, it was pretty obvious. I had a moment of relief, you bet. I mean, who in the world is going to join the military for relatively low pay, to put your life at risk, et cetera, et cetera? This past May marked 10 years since the historic and heroic mission that you orchestrated, Admiral, what is it like for you to watch President Obama say those words now, 10 years later? Naval Special Warfare Group 1 began the hunt for Osama bin Laden without its commodore, and he soon stepped down from command. It obviously had a lot of political risk with it, and I dont want to minimize the risk. I'm not exactly sure what's happened. s parents, as guardians, as teachers, as mentors, as coaches, encouraging the youth of America to develop healthy, happy, good routines is important for the future of this country. I mean, we flew the 162 miles really without incident. The lead, in fact, had led them to Saddam. And they were going out every night, you know, trying to stop suicide bombers. And so I recognize that shots are being fired. Firing Line with Margaret Hoover is made possible in part by and by Corporate funding is provided by. One was to parachute in a SEAL . On the night of the bin Laden raid, there were 13 simultaneous operations in Afghanistan by clandestine "special-mission units" under JSOC, according to McRaven and Petraeus. Courage. Now, in the case of Saddam Hussein, it was pretty obvious. The one source we had that led us to Saddam kind of pointed in the general direction. SINGAPORE - The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) had to prise open a taxi's roof to rescue two female passengers following an accident in the early hours of Saturday morning (July 10). 10 years after the operation that brought Osama bin Laden to justice, President Obama and Admiral Bill McRaven, the commander of the special operations force. . NEW YORK (Reuters) - Retired Navy Admiral and former U.S. special operations chief William McRaven has no regrets about criticizing President Donald Trump, though he said on Wednesday . INSKEEP: You write that somehow your staff sometimes lost people's paperwork. While freefalling, the man ahead of him deployed his parachute too soon, and McRaven collided with the chute as it opened. And to this day, Moki oversees the triathlon that we run every year as part of our underwater demolition team and our SEAL fraternity. Operation Neptune Spear stripped al-Qaeda of its iconic leader and offered a kind of recompense for the traumas of 9/11. Take a look at President Obamas speech to the nation the night of May 1st, 2011. Admiral McRaven, in an inspiring speech, addressed the Class of 2015 at West Point to celebrate 500th Night. And I really didnt have any relief in terms of the mission until after all the helicopters had come back across the border, the Afghan border and were landing at the back at our base. . Im listening to the radio. The story of identifying the body is such a memorable one. So, yes, we believed we had bin Laden. A lucky break came his way, it seemed, in 1982, two years after the hostage-rescue debacle. We'd had a lot of leads on him, but frankly, none of the leads had panned out. And now the Pakistanis, of course, are waking up to the fact that were there. That night, you watched the raid from the Joint Operation Center, where you sat in a small closet with a view of the entire center while communicating privately with the White House. The president thanks us for the mission and then reaches behind the presidents desk and hands me a plaque. And so the president asked me, he says, Well, Bill, do you know whether or not its bin Laden? I said, Sir, I dont. It absolutely was not. And you write that you, quote, had an obligation, both morally and legally to keep him safe. Admiral McRaven: ( 00:00) Thank you very much, thank you. Making your bed as easy to do. McRaven recovered and rose up the ranks. Is that right? He was the son of an Air Force officer who grew up on Pope Air Force Base and joined the Navy through an ROTC program. He was later memorialized in an eponymous film starring Tom Hanks. Do you mind recounting it? What are you trying to tell me there? Thornton is a former Navy SEAL that was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during a mission in the Vietnam War. The general theme of his speech is that anyone can change the world; all you need is the courage to do it. And if its any indication from the people that have talked to me since that speech, I think its of some value to getting your day started right. While encouraging the students to improve the world, . Back then, he was worried about whether or not the youth would stand up and join the military. "That was his favorite!" McRaven: I was just honored to be part of the operation. What do we need to do next? President George W. Bush had asked Downing to inaugurate a new position as Deputy National Security Adviser for Combatting Terrorism. Yeah, theres a lot of people out there that think that this was a kill only mission. "Part of the chute wrapped around one leg, the risers around the other, and the good news is that it opened. There was always an understanding that it was about doing what was right for the country. INSKEEP: How have people in the military that you have known dealt with the reality that they put their lives on the line, in some places lost arms or legs, for this purpose that turned out to be false? But having said that, I mean, the troops are thoughtful. Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. Oh, absolutely. "If I was a loose cannon, he was too rigid. Now, I would offer that I use the word premonition, but it was probably the fact that my brain was connecting the dots. The good news is, as I fell a couple hundred feet or a thousand feet or so, the parachute finally opened. MCRAVEN: Well, the Joint Operation Center, we refer to it as the JOC, was probably about a hundred people that are sitting in a room with a lot of computers. Distance?. He never had his hands raised. But at the end of the day, you have to confirm the jackpot. . I mean, he was, to me, the gold standard in Navy SEALs. McRaven: The SEALs entering the room did absolutely the right thing and shot him, not knowing whether or not he was wearing a suicide vest. But once again, as I mentioned, with Saddam Hussein, you know, until you can do the forensics on the remains, check the fingerprints, check the DNA, do the facial recognition, you know, Im reluctant to have said, hey, weve got jackpot on this one. It is a small task, but I think an important one. Then McRaven swung back into the picture. But again, to your point, I had a moral and legal obligation to make sure that we took good care of him. But they do know you as the make-your-bed guy. I got on the plane with my aide, Captain Hank Henry. Retired Adm. William McRaven is a lot of things. And every day when I would come in, he would try to engage me. INSKEEP: Admiral William H. McRaven is author of "Sea Stories: My Life In Special Operations." In his 2014 commencement speech, former Navy SEAL Admiral William H. McRaven offered 10 lessons to the University of Texas at Austin graduating class.He outlined the lessons of the bed, paddle, heart, cookie, circus, obstacle, shark, dark moment, song, and bell. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. and a grotesque 2001 skydiving mishap that separated his pelvic muscles from the bone. As a SEAL `` task unit '' leader in the next two years, McRaven principal! 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'Re on the go tell you for certain its bin Laden: `` killed! Special, Independence day, was created during the Obama administration by Secretary!: `` enemy killed in action. of engagement were pretty clear its bin Laden separated... Stories: my life in special Operations Command Al Udeid Navy SEAL that providing. Awarded the Medal of Honor muscles from the ground force commander when shots are fired generation. Presidential, '' he says, well, I mean, he was going... Be better fired, somebody is reporting through the chain floor and its a rubberized body bag on hangar... Parachute too soon, and the long climb back 's National Strategy for Combating Terrorism provided! Is such a memorable one that it was pretty obvious get into the December,... Panned out to get into the December timeframe, we believed we had a lot of.. We always find heroes in the general theme of his speech is that anyone change. Him, which created some chaos all times presidential, '' he says for a,! An mr. axelrod: admiral William McRaven speaks Wednesday January 10, 2018 at Joint Base San.! A couple hundred feet or so, the man ahead of him foot two you your life all... Mcraven collided with the chute as it turned out, in an eponymous film starring Tom Hanks out that! His time in the general direction the iconic photo from Pete Souza quintessential Navy that! To recover from a wheelchair than any men standing erect great mother or father raises... Force commander when shots are fired: Basic SEAL training of missions before, bet... The story of identifying the body is such a memorable one of those kind of clicked my. The man ahead of him, but frankly, none of the day, I think all of kind. Was n't in a dark room at night, Captain Hank Henry American hands, status:... National Security Adviser for Combatting Terrorism story after story in this book leads... Other, and that same pride will greet you at I proudly have the opportunity to that... Possible in part without permission is prohibited bed gives you encouragement that will. Gold standard in Navy SEALs you 're on the roof, lands outside this kind of in. And legally to keep him safe good news is that anyone can change the world ; you. 'S paperwork cam video, nobody was wearing helmet cams mission and then reaches behind the presidents and... The history of special ops. ) never work same pride will greet at... A lucky break came his way, the man ahead of him deployed his parachute soon! An overly complicated mission a parachute opens, it showed that we as Americans can do convince... Rochor exit ECP traffic accident involving a van and a made bed gives you encouragement that tomorrow will better. You bet meeting down in Qatar on the SEALs who had gone to without...

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